Pisolithus marmoratus

1 Horse Dung Fungus at Shoalhaven Heads, NSW

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Identification history

Pisolithus marmoratus	12 May 2019	Pam
Pisolithus sp.	5 May 2019	Pam
Scleroderma sp.	4 May 2019	Nurjahan

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User's notes

3 cm wide by 7 cm tall dry & hard Erupted in mowed area beside littoral forest Shoalhaven Heads

6 comments

Pam wrote:

5 May 2019

What you have here is un unusually shaped Pisolithus sp. I suspect it is P. marmoratus (Horse Dung Fungus), though the shape's not right. I'll have to get onto a collegue of mine who studied this group of fungi and see what he has to say. I'll warn you ahead he sometimes takes a while to answer!!! This group of fungi are also mycorrhizal so again did you notice what trees were nearby that they may be associated with? Good photo of something a bit different. You defintiely are finding a good range of species in you area.

Nurjahan wrote:

7 May 2019

It is near, ( 11m ) to a tall gum tree of mixed species (or so I was told by a NP ranger) which stands alone, nearest next Eucalyptus is about 20m. Forest edge is about 30m away. It is still there looking the same as before. It is now evening of 6th. May. The fungus is surrounded by cut lawn. I hope that helps.

Pam wrote:

7 May 2019

Great, thanks for the extra infomation

Pam wrote:

13 May 2019

Answer is back confirming that this is definitely Pisolithus marmoratus. The defining characteristic he said is the colour of the spore mass which is brown and not the curry powder colour of P. albus.

Nurjahan wrote:

13 May 2019

Thanks for that. Is this fungus necessarily associated with horse dung? We do get a few horses riding by, but there has never been any dung nearby in the 10 years that we have been here!

Pam wrote:

14 May 2019

No, not associated with horse dung, just a 'nick name', a descriptor, as it were, because that's what some people think it looks like!! They are often more rounded and so that name has more meaning. It's the first time I've seen one that is so narrow.

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